Long-term Effects on Downtown Shopping
By the end of March 2013, the downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota Macy's department store will close. It will leave the city with 360,000 square feet of empty retail space. Macy's closing is due to poor performance. There are not enough shoppers in downtown Saint Paul to support a big department store any more. In a 2012 survey, only one percent of people surveyed said they would Christmas shop in downtown Saint Paul.
The president of Minneapolis' Dayton's department store who funded the building of Southdale, believed like Victor Gruen, that suburban shopping could happen at no expense to the city.
" We do not believe we or anybody else will lose any business because of the suburban move." ~ Donald Dayton, president of Dayton's Department Store
After 60 years of experience we can see that Donald Dayton and Victor Gruen underestimated Southdale's effect on downtown shopping, but by building Southdale they forever transformed the way Americans shop.
Click here to go to Process Paper
The president of Minneapolis' Dayton's department store who funded the building of Southdale, believed like Victor Gruen, that suburban shopping could happen at no expense to the city.
" We do not believe we or anybody else will lose any business because of the suburban move." ~ Donald Dayton, president of Dayton's Department Store
After 60 years of experience we can see that Donald Dayton and Victor Gruen underestimated Southdale's effect on downtown shopping, but by building Southdale they forever transformed the way Americans shop.
Click here to go to Process Paper